Discovery smoothly soars into space on Fourth of July

Loss of some foam pieces doesn't bother NASA.

Loss of some foam pieces doesn't bother NASA.

July 05, 2006

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) -- NASA gave the shuttle Discovery a majestic Fourth of July send-off and said early signs showed the spacecraft to be in good shape, despite once again being struck by the flying foam that has plagued the program. The first-ever Independence Day manned launch came after two weather delays and over objections from those within NASA who argued for more fuel-tank repairs. Shuttle managers said early video images of liftoff showing small pieces of foam breaking away -- and one even striking the spacecraft -- were not troubling. NASA Administrator Michael Griffin said of the launch: "They don't get much better than this." It was Griffin who chose to go ahead with the mission over concerns from the space agency's safety officer and chief engineer about foam problems that have dogged the agency since Columbia was doomed by a flyaway chunk of insulation 3 1/2 years ago. Discovery thundered away from its seaside pad at 2:38 p.m EDT. About three minutes later, as many as five pieces of debris were seen flying off the tank, and another piece of foam popped off a bit later, Mission Control told the crew. The latter piece seemed to strike the belly of Discovery, but NASA assured the seven astronauts it was no concern because of the timing. Shuttle program manager Wayne Hale said Discovery was so high when the pieces came off that there wasn't enough air to accelerate the foam into the shuttle and cause damage. "That is the very raw, preliminary data," he said. "It will be a while before we get a complete picture of what happened during the ascent." The astronauts reported seeing what they described as a large piece of cloth tumbling away from Discovery soon after reaching orbit. It looked like one of the thermal blankets that protects the shuttle, they said, but Mission Control later told them it may have been ice and that a similar observation was made during Discovery's flight a year ago. "Wow, that's real good news," said shuttle commander Steven Lindsey. Hale and others on the launch management team were in a jubilant mood over the smooth liftoff. "No, we did not plan to launch on the Fourth of July, but it sure did work out to be great to launch on Independence Day," said Hale, who was wearing a patriotic tie. Lindsey, an Air Force fighter pilot, was at Discovery's controls and aiming for a Thursday linkup with the international space station. It was unclear for a while Monday whether Discovery would fly at all. A slice of foam, not much bigger than a crust of bread, fell off an expansion joint on the external fuel tank as the spacecraft sat on the launch pad. Shuttle managers concluded Monday night after intensive engineering analysis that the remaining foam on that part of the tank was solid. Engineers said the piece -- 3 inches long and just one-tenth of an ounce -- was too small to pose a threat even if it had come off during launch and smacked the shuttle. Inspectors devised a long pole with a camera to inspect the joint and found no evidence of further damage. NASA also made sure there was no excessive ice buildup at that spot Tuesday. The fallen foam, albeit harmless, added to the tension already surrounding this mission. NASA's chief engineer and top-ranking safety official objected two weeks ago to the 12-day mission without eliminating lingering dangers from foam loss, considered probable and potentially catastrophic. They were overruled by shuttle managers and, ultimately, Griffin.